A Look Ahead at 2019

A Letter to the Membership from 2019 AIA Cincinnati President Allison McKenzie, AIA

January always seems to pass in a flash, it’s hard to believe that 2019 is already three weeks old! While my installation as AIA Cincinnati President was only a few days ago, I’ve been working with the AIA Cincinnati Board since November to set priorities and expectations for 2019, knowing that January is always such a blur. AIA Cincinnati membership continues to grow each year, which is a testament to the vibrant design community in our city. Our chapter has made some incredible progress in the past few years, especially with the recent creation and opening of the Cincinnati Center for Architecture and Design (CCAD). Our board, though, is keenly aware that that there’s even more that we can and should be doing as a chapter to provide value to our members and serve as a recognized and respected voice for the profession in Cincinnati.

When the board held our retreat in November, we established
the following three priorities for the chapter in 2019:

Improve Communication

Our membership surveys from past years have shown that the
AIA Cincinnati website and Architext newsletter are currently the primary
sources of attaining chapter information for many of our members. We need to
continue to improve the format and usability these sources through streamlined
design that is also mobile device friendly. Look for our new newsletter format
this week- feedback appreciated! We also know that more and more of our members
are using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in touch. Look for enhanced
use of AIA Cincinnati’s Twitter and Facebook pages this year as well as the
launching of a brand new AIA Cincinnati Instagram account soon.

The channels we use for communication are important, but we
also recognize that the type and amount of information we share is also
important. We are placing emphasis this year not only on communicating about
events that are occurring but also on creating content for the website,
newsletter and other channels that will provide better insight into what is
going on in Cincinnati’s architectural community, allied professions, and the
community at large. If you have ideas on content you would like to see or a
passion for writing, please reach out- we would love to have your help.

Develop Impactful
Programming

AIA Cincinnati already has some incredible recurring programming
through the CDA and CRAN awards, VISION, theAcademy, and more. In order to
enhance these offerings, AIA Cincinnati is looking to provide additional programming
this year that increases awareness of AIA in the community and also allows
program participants to feel like they are making an impact, not just attending
a lecture. As an example, last year’s Terrace Plaza Hotel Tour was not only an
interesting event to attend, but it has led to an ongoing discussion about the
importance of saving historic buildings in our community. Look for additional
AIA Cincinnati events and actions this year around the push to add to Terrace
Plaza to the local Historic Register initiated by Councilman Mann last week.

The board has additional programming ideas, but we are also always
open to hearing ideas from membership!

Increased
Collaboration

The opening of the CCAD in cooperation with local chapters
of SEGD, IIDA, ASID and ASLA puts us in a great position to increase
collaboration with allied design professionals in Cincinnati. There are also
additional local groups like the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, USGBC
and CSI that we can increase our support of and collaboration with. We often
have similar missions, visions and initiatives and we can all be better and
more effective if we work together.

The existence of the University of Cincinnati and Miami
University within AIA Cincinnati’s area is also a tremendous asset to our
architectural community and one that we can do a better job collaborating with
to benefit everyone.

As you can tell, we have ambitious goals for 2019! We invite you as current or prospective future members of AIA Cincinnati to increase your engagement with the chapter over the coming year. Our board is always eager to hear suggestions or ideas and we are always looking for additional volunteers! You can always reach me directly at amckenzie@shp.com.